The present technology relates to a method for preparing a sample for a nucleic acid amplification reaction, and a preparation device of a sample for a nucleic acid amplification reaction. More specifically, the present technology relates to a method and the like that includes a step of heating a sample and an electrodialysis step.
A method for analyzing the nucleic acids contained in a sample is utilized, for example in the medical field, for nucleic acid testing and the like for diagnosis of infectious diseases. In such nucleic acid testing, the nucleic acids in the sample are usually subjected to a nucleic acid amplification reaction in advance, and the target nucleic acid is amplified to the required level for testing. Especially, when the nucleic acid to be tested for is contained in a low concentration in the sample, the nucleic acid amplification reaction is an essential step in nucleic acid analysis.
In many cases a nucleic acid-containing sample contains substances that inhibit the nucleic acid amplification reaction. Consequently, in order to amplify the nucleic acids in the sample, the nucleic acids are usually purified by removing the substances other than nucleic acids from the sample. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a method for isolating nucleic acids by causing the nucleic acids in a sample to be adsorbed to a nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane.
This method includes a step of passing a sample solution containing nucleic acids through a nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane to cause the nucleic acids to be adsorbed in the nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane, a step of washing the nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane with the nucleic acids adsorbed to the membrane by passing a washing solution through the nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane, and a step of desorbing the nucleic acids from the nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane by passing a recovery solution through the nucleic-acid-absorbent porous membrane.
Further, a method has been disclosed for reducing the effects of substances that inhibit a nucleic acid amplification reaction by adding a separate reagent to the components that inhibit the nucleic acid amplification reaction which remain in the nucleic acid-containing sample, or in a recovery solution and the like containing the nucleic acids recovered by a purification method like that described above.
For example, in the nucleic acid analysis method disclosed in Patent Literature 2, a step is included for treating a nucleic acid purification solution with an enzyme that acts on the amplification inhibition substances in the sample or in the nucleic acid purification reagent to convert them into substances that do not inhibit amplification as much.